I've been an avid martial arts enthusiast all my life. Seattle Tae Kwon Do was the first school my mom signed me up for (as a birthday gift) when I was a kid. I trained here diligently for years and eventually earned my first degree black belt. Unfortunately, I had to go on hiatus for about 4 years because of college, among other things. Years later I'm back to where I started: Seattle Tae Kwon Do Why? Aside from being right in my neighborhood, I felt like I was getting a quality education from real instructors taught by a lineage of Taekwondo family tradition. Not only were the classes about learning techniques, forms, sparring, and self-defense, but about self-discipline, inner strength, and determination, among other things. I actually -changed-. Over the years I went from feeling shy and weak, to confident and strong. I prided myself in my callouses and bruises, and beamed when talking about the incredible workouts and drills I did. As an adult, the new Thai Kickboxing classes offered tons more. The high intensity workouts from both leave me drenched in sweat and running high on endorphins. Master Richards definitely pushes people to discover just how strong they are, because from the years I've been going, he's known my limits better than I have. One of the best aspects I appreciate here is the fact you feel like you're joining a family of people rather than just a class of strangers you won't ever know. At the end of every class we shake hands, high five, and introduce ourselves to people we may not know. It's refreshing to get that kind of respect after an hour long butt-kicking workout. Besides, who could say no to school picnics and pot luck parties? They even have Buddy Day, where you can bring a friend to join you for classes. Sweet. Beginner? No problem. One of the instructors takes the time to familiarize you with how class runs, and any basic techniques you should know. I have to say, after my workouts here I noticed I've been checking out my muscles in the mirror every now and then and it's pretty exciting to see some new ones I didn't know existed, ha! Okay, so stuff you should know: - All classes are barefoot, no socks - There are separate male and female changing rooms - The TKD class is usually a 45 minute crazy high intensity workout. - The Thai Kickboxing Kickboxing usually focuses on a set of muscle groups for the class, though still a total body workout. - You'll be working with medicine balls, resistance bands, heavy bags, standing bags, and maybe some pads. - Oh, bring your own gloves to Thai Kickboxing. I like promoting the use of handwraps to support my wrists. As far as neighborhood martial arts schools go, this place is excellent.
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